Save Article

Union Pacific Profit Rises 13%

Improved Shipments and Pricing Gains Offset Slump in Coal Volume

By

Tess Stynes

Jan. 23, 2014 8:32 a.m. ET

Union Pacific Corp. said its fourth-quarter earnings rose 13% on improved shipments and pricing gains, despite a continued slump in coal volume.

Top U.S. railroads–considered a barometer of overall economic activity–have broadly been hurt by weak coal demand from domestic utilities as a result of low-cost natural gas and high coal stockpiles. Economic uncertainty has also weighed on the company's intermodal volume, which measures the...